Page 62 of Shattered

She and Jason have ditched me once before, and there’s no reason to think that it won’t happen again.

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Sienna: I got thrown up on today, and I forgot to bring a spare shirt with me.

Neilix: I had to work in close proximity to Shane.

Sienna: You win.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Sienna

After placing the bag of chips on the counter, along with a bottle of pop and gummy bears, I slide my phone out of my back pocket, rereading the last message from Neilix, telling me he was going to take a shower.

After first reading it, my mind had taken a quick detour into the gutter, and I couldn’t stop myself from picturing him naked in there. I may not have ever seen his whole body with no clothes on, but I remember what he has hidden inside his pants, whether I want to or not. It makes my skin feel warm and flushed every time I think about it, so I try not to.

I put my phone away and pull out my card instead, paying for my items after the girl behind the register gives me the total.

Neilix had already started taking up the majority of my thoughts after I saw him again for the first time, but it’s been especially bad since the other night when we were at my parents’ place. I can’t stop thinking about how he held my hand pressed against his chest, or how his eyes were taking me in, caressing my face with his heated gaze.

When I first decided to go see him a month ago, I honestly never saw us falling back into this daily texting thing. Hell, I was still angry with him at that point and was actively trying not to think about him.

But a lot can happen in a month, and obviously, it has.

I shake my head internally. I still don’t really know what I was expecting from that visit. Maybe if I had seen that he was happy, or if he appeared to not remember what we had, I could have finally gotten over him and moved on.

But I should have known it wouldn’t be like that the second he let me walk through his door.

I can’t say I’m even a little mad about how things have turned out. I’ve more than enjoyed getting to know him again, though I must say, at his core, he’s still the same gentle, and sensitive soul I fell for as a teenager.

I fell for him once, and I doubt there was even a chance for me not falling for him again. When you have history like we do, it doesn’t take much to get back to the place you we were. We bypassed most of the normal things other people spend time doing when they first meet.

I grab my bagged items and place them in the passenger seat when I get back to my car. Pulling out my phone, I check to see if he’s messaged again before I start my car. It has become an obsession, and every time I see his name on my screen, my heart flutters wildly. I wonder if he knows what he does to me or if he feels similar.

After lighting up the screen, my lips turn down at the sides when I don’t see anything there, and a stab of worry pokes at my insides. Either he’s still showering, or he’s pulling back like I’ve suspected all day.

Our texting increased over the last few days, to the point where we didn’t even go an hour without either of us sending a message. But it was different today. I sent a message this morning, as usual, and he replied to it. He also responded to the others I sent throughout the day, but he didn’t initiate any conversation with me, and his replies were shorter and more to the point.

Maybe he’s trying to draw a line between us, or perhaps he’s simply busy today. I don’t know.

In the hopes of engaging him in conversation, I decide to type out a random message to see if he’ll bite.

Me: Have you ever wondered what it would be like living in a world where women were nothing but companions for men, and the men got to pick them out at a certain age?

When he doesn’t read it within a few seconds, I put my phone back in my purse and start my drive.

I don’t hear the chime of my phone the whole time I’m driving, and by the time I’m getting out of my car, he still hasn’t read my text. Apprehension has my stomach feeling tight. What if he’s not just busy? What if he is ignoring me? Or maybe he’s just fallen asleep. I glance up while walking along the pathway, noticing the lights are still on.

Before I talk myself out of it, I press the doorbell and step back, tapping my thigh with my free hand. Only a few seconds pass, but each one feels like several. The door finally opens with the scent of spicy body wash rushing at me, and the second I see him, I’m suddenly thirsty. Neilix—just sliding his glasses on—stands there in only sweats, with his hair wet and a few drops of water trickling down his neck and chest.

“Hey.” He sounds slightly winded and shocked to see me, which is unsurprising, seeing as I didn’t tell him I was coming. “I just got out of the shower,” he adds when he notices my eyes floating down to his exposed pecs, trim waist, and defined abs. I never really got to see him shirtless, and it’s nothing short of mouth-watering.

A light smattering of hair covers his chest, along with a trail that leads from his navel down into his sweats. And there’s a pink flush to his cheeks and neck that looks more like I interrupted a workout, but it’s probably more likely he had the temperature super-hot.

Forcing my eyes back to his face, I refocus. “I’m sorry for turning up out of the blue. Again. I just thought maybe we could watch a movie?” I hold up the DVD of Interstellar and the bag from the store. “I brought snacks.” Then, with a soft smile, I add, “You sounded like you could do with a little cheering up.”

One of his short messages today was that he found out his sister was going to have to move back in with his parents. He and Deanna still don’t get along, so that means he won’t be stopping by there anymore. He hardly saw his parents as it was since they never made the effort to come to the city, but this means they’ll likely never see Adi.

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